Cotton chopper and cultivator



' 3 Sheets-Sheet 1.

(No Model.)

J.,.K. P. SHELTON. COTTON CHOPPER AND GULTIVATOR.

Patented Nov. 2, 1886.

(No Model.) V s sheets-sheet 2. J. ,K. P. SHELTON.

COTTON CHOPPER AND GULTIVATOR. No. 351,845. Patented Nov.'2; 1886.

jnvenior:

- (No Model.) 3 Sheets-Sheet 3.

- J. K.1 .SH ELTON COTTON CHOPPER AND GULTIVATOR. No. 351,845. Pate'nted Nov. 2, 1886.

mihegwes: i- 1 I N. PETERS. Phatwlikhagnpher, Wmhington. n c

. a perspective of the upper frame.

UNITED" STATES PATENT OFFICE.

JAMES K. P. SHELTON, OF GASTON, ALABAMA.

COTTON CHOPPER AND CULTIVATOR.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 351,845, dated. November 2, 1886.

Application filed June 17, 1886.

Serial No. 205,462. (No model.)

To all whom, it may concern:

Be it known that 1, JAMES K. P. SHELroN, a citizen of the United States, residing at Gaston, in the county of Sumter and State of Alabama, have invented certain new and-useful Improvements in Cotton Choppers and Cultivators, of which the following is a specification, reference being had therein to the accompanying drawings.

. Figure l is a perspective of the lower main frame, one of the driving-wheels and one of the steering-wheels being removed. Fig. 2 is Fig. 3 is a perspective of a part-of one of the sliding bars and the adjacent parts. Fig. 4 shows a modification of the devices for reciprocating the sliding bars. Fig. 5 is a perspective of the front end of one of the sliding bars. a section through the same. Fig. 7 is a side view of the devices when arranged for chopping. Fig. 8 is a vertical transverse section;

on the line :0 m, Fig. 7. Fig. 9 shows a front and a rear scraper. Fig. 10 is a plan view of the stirrup which holds the front ends of the scrapers. Fig. 11 is a view, partly in side ele- Vation and partly in elevation, of the chopping devices. Fig. 12 is a section on the line y, Fig. 11. Fig. 13 is an end view of the devices in Fig. 11. Fig. 14 isa section on an enlarged scale. Fig. 15 is a plan view of one of the chopper-blades. plan of one of the adjusting-bars for the rear scrapers.

The main frame of the machine is composed of the side longitudinal sills, F F, and the crossgirts G G. These are framed together so as to provide ,a strong support for the other devices, the framing being preferably effected in the way shown. sills F, in order that the projecting parts may be utilized for-purposes to be described. This main-frame is mounted upon the drive-wheels A A,"the"latter being upon the aXle A which 'is secured in boxes A situated,preferably, a

Fig. 6 is Fig. 16 is a bottom The girts G G project beyond the If desired, backing'ratchets of any wellknown fornr may be used with the drivewheels.

At the front of the machine there are two supporting caster wheels, B B. These are mounted and attached to the frame in such way that theycan be oscillated to assist in guiding the machine in the desired direction. The wheels B B may be made either of wood or of metal. When made of wood, they should be provided with a metal tire, as shown in Fig.7, and should have metal plates B B fastened to the faces at the center to act as a re-enforce around the shaft or axle upon which each is mounted. I have shown some of the forms of the devices which I prefer for connecting these wheels B with the frame.

H H are hangers converging downwardly to the bearing at H in which is mounted the shaft H of the wheel B, there being preferably twoof these hangers on each side of the wheel. At the upper ends there is a plate, H, above the girt G, and below the girt there is a second plate, H these plates either being cast with or rigidly secured to the hangers H H. By means of a pivot at H the plates and hangers are joined to the girts G.

I do not wish to be limited to the devices shown for mounting the wheels, as others may be employed-for instance, such as shown in another application of mine, filed on the 12th day of June, 1886.

The hangersin which the wheels are mounted are joined by a bar, 11, pivoted at its ends to the plates H". By moving this bar H to the right or the left the wheels B B-will be correspondingly turned and the machine can be readily guided in either direction. With the devices last described I have combined mechanism for readily operating the bar H and wheels B'.

P is a shaft situated vertically. At the lower end it is mounted in the girt G, and care ries a forwardly-projecting arm, Q, either integral with the shaft or secured thereto by key or set-screw, as at Q. This arm is pivoted to to the bar I 1 at Q. At a suitable point above the arm Q is attached a handle, T, this being of any convenient length, and by which the driver can, with his hand, readily turn the wheels B B. Below this handle there may be mounted stirrups adapted to receive the feet of the driver, whereby he may steer the machine either by hand or by his feet, in the manner shown and described in a prior application of mine, Serial No. 186,554, filed December 23, 1885.

0 represents a frame or standard bolted to the top of the longitudinal girts K, and arranged so as to provide a bearing for the shaft P at O, at a point considerably above said girt G.

Above the main frame I place a supple mental frame, consisting of the cross-bars J J and longitudinal bars K K. This upper frame is supported upon and connected to the lower main frame by standards J J, bolted to the cross-bars J J said standards being preferably detachable from the main frame, so as to permit the parts of the machine to be readily taken apart for repair or other purposes.

The longitudinal bars K K may be of any material, though I prefer to have them elastic, that they may serve to advantage as to the support of the drivers seat. The latter is represented by L, it being carried by a spring, M, which at the lower end is secured to the sill M. This sill is fastened rigidly in place by means of stirrup-bolts M it resting upon pillow-blocks M.

I will now describe the construction, arrangement, and operation of the devices by which the chopping is effected. For said purpose the special devices consist, mainly, of front scrapers, a, rear scrapers, q, and the intermediate swinging choppers.

The front scrapers, n, widen rearward and downward. The front ends are curved upward and outward, forming a tee, a, on each, these being so shaped as to have a peculiar action upon the soil, and of snlficientlength to be easily seen above thelatfer. Each scraper is at the front end secured to an upright bar, by two bolts, n. The upper ends of the bars pass through the eyes of eyebolts said bolts being inserted into the front girt of the main frame.

p represents astirru p or U-shaped connecting-piece, which joins the two barsp p, it having eyes through which said bars pass. The latter are also provided with collars and set-screws 1) below the connecting-piece 12 By examining the drawings it will be seen that the distance between the eyes of the connecting-piece 1)" is greater than that between the eyebolts p, and therefore said connecting piece can be used to hold the front ends of the scrapers at one or another of various distances apart. To thus adjust them, the eyebolts 1) and collars p are loosened, the bars 1) p are arranged at the desired angle. of divergence, the connecting-piece 12 being brought to the desired position, after which said collar and screws are again made fast.

Each scraper n is at its rear end secured to a flat vertical bar, 0, and each of these bars 0 is at the upper end secured to the cross-bar I, above described. At points below their upper ends these parts 0 are joined by a connecting-brace, 0 The action of these scrapers is such as to remove the soil somewhat from each side of the row, leaving anarrow bar of earth on top of the ridge in order that the chopping hoes may act effectually. Said hoes areconstructed and attached as follows:

1) is a detachable shaft,adapted to be mounted in a hearing at '0, in the above-described cross-bar J of the top frame. The rear end of the shaft 1) rests in an open recess at o, in the rear bar, J, the shaft being flattened in order to fit tightly in its seat.

1; is a pivoted hook, adapted to swing over the shaft and hold it in its seat, there being at 1; an aperture adapted to receive a peg, which locks the hook in position. This shafto provides the immediate support for the frame of the hoes.

w w represent two bars hinged to the shaft '2) by eyes 10, and at the lower ends provided with sockets and set-screws w transverse to said sockets. These are held in the proper position on the shaft by means of collars o and set-screws a, as will be readily understood from the drawings. In the sockets aforesaid, are fitted two downwardly-extending bars,w at, their upper ends being fastened by the setscrews w Their lower ends are secured to a plate or bar, y, the latter having a slot extending longitudinally from one end to the other, and said bars a: as being at their lower end squared to fit said slot. and having nuts x and washers whereby they are rigidly fastened to said plate or bar 1 To this bar 1/ are attached the hoe-shanks 22. These are tubular, longitudinally, and at their upper ends are squared to fit the aforesaid slot in the bar-y. The lower ends are concave, and against said ends rest the hoe-blades z Z2.

2 represents a bolt or threaded rod, there being one for each hoe-blade and shank z. lt passes through the hoe-blade and the shank, it being headed at the lower end and threaded at the upper, and by means of a nut, z, anda washer, 2*",said parts can all be rigidly clamped to the plate or bar y. y

The hoe-blades are ofsteel, and are concavoconvex in cross-section. The corners are beveled, so that each is hexagonal. When shaped thus, they are equally effective in whatever direction they move. The front and rear blades, 2 2, may be of the same lengths as the intermediate blade, z", or they may be shorter, as desired. It will be seen that these blades can be veiy readily adj nsted so as to have them any desired distance apart, it being only necessary to loosen their fastenings and slide them one way or the other on the bar 3/, and again fasten them. A vertical adj nstment can also be attained very easily by loosening the setscrews 10* and sliding the bars a: up or down in the socketed parts 10, and again tightening said screw.

The number of plants left in the row can be regulated by the number of hoe-blades employed. When three hoes are used,they leave twice as many plants as when two are employed; but it will be seen that when two are used the extreme length of the cutters is the same as that when three are used. The devices by which the hoes are reciprocated will now be described.

U 'U represent two rigid rectilinearly-reciprocating bars, mounted longitudinally of the frame, preferably upon the supplemental upper removable frame, as shown in Fig. 2. These bars carry downward-projecting pins, which are adapted to be engaged with and operated by one or more pins carried by the wheels E,which are mounted upon and rotate with the'axle A. Y

W W are flexible straps,through which motion is communicated from the bars U to the chopping devices. 7 4

It will be seen that the rigid bars U receive motion directly from the drive-wheels,and reciprocate in rectilineal lines, whereby several advantageous results are attained. By being reciprocated directly by the wheels the construction of the machine is simplified and the number of parts reduced to a minimum. By causing their reciprocation to be on rectilineal lines there is, in the first place, less liability of the bars becoming clogged by dirt or weeds and grass than were they pivoted and given a vibratory motion.- Further, they travel over a comparatively small area, and hence may be covered by shields of simple form,as shown; again, these bars may be mounted and made to reciprocate close to thelongitudinal bai s' or sills of the frame, which serve both to guide its motions and protect it, and, further,a rigid rectilinearly-reciprocating bar may be mount ed upon a supplemental removable frame, as I have shown. The construction and operation of these parts last referred to is more fully set forth and described in my aforesaid application, Serial No. 186,554, to which I again refer for a fuller description of these parts.

The straps are connected to a double hook, w w, to which they can be hitched. This double hook is carried by a bar. 20 connectmg the hanger-bars w by means of eyes 10 and set-screws w In order to guide and brace the lower parts of the swinging chopper from the main frame, I employ a detachable cross-bar, W which is fastened to the main frame by means of hooks on the ends oft-he bar and staples on the frame. The bar F is notched so that this cross-bar can easily swing out when it is to be detached. The chopper is so'arranged that one of the swinging hangeis x isin proximity to the axle A", the latter serving to guide and brace it,

while the other hanger mis guided and braced by the aforesaid bar W The rear scrapers, g. are in general shape the reverse of the front scrapers, n.that is to say, they are widest at the front ends and narrow somewhat toward'the rear. They are concavo-convex in vertical section, but the curvature is such that, the top and bottom edges of each are more nearly in a vertical plane at the rear end than they are at the front. j

Each is supported by means of a hanger, r, secured to its scraper by two bolts at the lower end,and at the upper end bolted to the crossbar I. The two hanger-bars r are joined by a connecting brace, r, Fig. 16, preferably made of round iron and having its ends bent downward. Said ends are fitted into the eyes of eyebolts 0, passed through the hangers r. S S are regulating-braces, each having an aperture at the front end to receive the eyebolt 1, and each being at the rear end formed with a slotted part, the slot being represented by 8. Through this slot passes a bolt, 8,

which engages with the rear cross-beam, G, it

carrying a nut, n", adapted to bear strongly against the under side of the slotted part of the brace. The rear ends of the scrapers q q can be thrown farther apart or nearer together by moving the slotted part of these braces S in the necessary direction.

W WYrepresent check-springs, of which there are four, two secured to one sill F and two to the other, the forward pair lying in the plane of the forward swinging hanger 00, and the rear pair lying similarly, relatively to the rear hanger at. These keep the hoes from swinging too far outward.

The operation of the devices last-above described will be readily understood. After the proper adjustments have been n1adethat is to say, after the forwardscrapers, n, .have been put in place and arranged properly, both vertically and horizontally,and the rear scrapers, q q, have been-suitably fixed in position, and the shaft 0 and the swinging choppers have been properly inserted and adjusted-the machine is advanced along the row, and vastt-he wheelsA E E rotate, the barsUand straps W are caused to swing the chop-pinghoes from side to side, they acting to remove from the row the desired number of plants. As hereinbefore stated, the front scrapersleave a nar row bar of soil,and the choppers cut through this bar. The rear scrapers, q, again bring up the soil on both sides to reform the beveled ridge along the plants.

In order to adapt the machine to cultivate also, I provide the following devices:

ttrepresent bent iron beams, the forward ends ofwhich are secured by the pivot bolts to the frame-pieces F, and which are. guided by means of stirru s it also secured to the framepieces F, thesestirrups beingperforated and adapted to receive pegs, by which the vertical position of each beam t can be regulated. The

beams tcarry foot-pieces f adapted to receive plows or cultivator-shovels. Besides these,

there are plows behind the drive-wheels, they being carried by bars a a, secured by eyebolts u to the rear cross-piece, G, of the main frame. g

Instead of the wheel E, use may be made of any device adapted to carry the pins-such as radiating arms, Fig. 4.

While I haveshown, and prefer to use, two

reciprocating bars, U, and operate them in ried by said shaft, double hook to, carried by substantially the manner herein provided for, yetit will be seen that a single sliding bar can be used, and the other parts be somewhat modified to correspond to such a change.

Z Z represents two sheet-iron shields or fenders, hinged to the top frame and adapted to cover the sliding bars U U. They may be recessed, as shown at z 2 to prevent interfen ence with the wheels which carry the pins above described.

The drivers seat can be readily adjusted forward or back, so that the one occupying it can be conveniently situated to the steering 1:5 mechanism, or so as to throw the weight over the proper part.

I do not wish to be understood as limiting myselfto the details ofthe construction shown, for in many respects they may be more or less modified or departed from without departing from the spirit of the invention with respect to said parts of the mechanism.

1 do not in this application claim any matters claimed in my aforesaid applications, No. 186,554, filed December 23, 1885, and N 0.

. 204,995, filed June 12, 1886.

What I claim is- 1. The combination ofthe supporting frame, the chopping devices carried thereby, a rectilinearly-reciprocating rigid bar, devices carried by the wheels which directly engage with and move said bar, and a flexible connection uniting said bar with the chopping devices, substantially as set forth.

2. Thecombination of thesnpporting-frame, the chopping devices carried thereby,two rectilinearly oppositely reciprocating bars con nected with the chopping devices, and means carried by the wheels which directly reeiprocate said bars alternately, substantially as set forth.

3. The combination ofthesupporting-frame, a supplemental removable top f ame, the chopping devices carried by said removable frame, a rectilincarly-reciprocating rigid bar carried by the supplemental frame, means car ried by the wheels for imparting motion directly to said bar, and a connection between said bar and the chopping devices, substantially as set forth.

4. The combination of thesupporting-frame, having longitudinal sills, the chopping devices, a supplemental frame carried by the main frame, rectilinearly-reciprocating bars carried by the supplemental frame and mounted by the side of said sills, means for recipro eating said bars. and connections between said bars and the chopping devices, substantially as set forth.

5. The combination ofthesupporting'frame, vibrating shaft 1;, detachably supported on said frame, the chopping devices mounted on said shaft, and means for vibrating the shaft and chopping devices detachably connected therewith, substantially as set forth.

6. The combination ofthe supporting-frame, vibrating shaft r, the chopping devices carthe chopping devices, reciprocating bars on opposite sides of the machine alternately operated by the wheels, and flexible connections adapted to engage with said hook w and unite the said bars and the chopping devices, substantially as set forth.

7. The combination of thesu iiporting-frame, vibrating shaft 11, the chopping devices carried thereby, double hook w, carried by the chopping devices, rectilinearly-reciprocating bars U U, supported upon opposite sides of the machine, devices carried by the wheels which alternately reciprocate said bars, and straps W \V, one connecting each bar with the hook to, substantially as set forth.

8. The combination ofthe supporting frame, the vibrating shaft 12, socketed bars 20, carried by said shaft, bars as, vertically adjustable in the sockets of bars to, and the chopping-blades carried by said bars, substantially as set forth.

9. The combination of the supporting frame, the vibrating shaft o, vertical. hangerbars, the chopping blades carried by said hanger-bars, a bar, -20, connecting the hanger-bars, a hook,

20*, carried by bar w", and devices connected with said hook for reciprocating the choppers, substantially as set forth.

10. The combination of the supporting frame, vibrating shaft 2;, vertical hanger-bars, plate 3 connecting the lower ends of said hanger-bars and provided with a longitudinal slot, and chopper-blades adjustably supported in said slotted plate, whereby their distance apart may be regulated, substantially as set forth.

, 11. The combination of the supportingframe, a vibrating ch opperframe carried thereby and having at its lower end a slotted plate, 3 the chopper-blades, rods 2', adjustably seated in said slotted plate and connecting therewith the chopping-blades, and tubular shanks surrounding rods 2 and interposed between the plate 3 and the chopping-blades, substantially:

as set forth.

12. The combination of the supportingframe, a vibrating chopper-frame carried th ereby and supporting tubular shanks z z, the lower ends of which are concave, the chopping-blades concavo-convcx in cross-section, and the rods 2', passing through said shanks and adapted to draw the convex sides of the chopper-blades against the concave ends of the shanks, substantially as set forth.

13. The herein-described chopper-blade, concavo-convex in cross-section and having beveled corners, substantially as set forth;

14. The combination of the supportingframe, the swinging chopper-frame having the downward-projecting hanger-bars, and the transverse guide and brace carried by the supporting-frame, and in proximity to which said hanger-bars swing, substantially as set forth.

15. The combination of the supportingframe, the swinging chopper-frame, and the elastic checks against which the chop per-frame swings and is arrested, substantially as set forth. a

16. The combination of the supportingframe, the scrapers N, bars 1). which support 5 the forward ends of the scrapers and are connected with the supporting-frame at their upper ends by eyes 1), and a connecting-piece, p situated between the bars 1), and having eyes through which the bars pass, the distance IO between the eyes in connecting-piece p and frame, the rear scrapers, q, hangers 1-, which support the scrapers, regulating-braces S. se-

cured' to said hangers and having the elongated slotted portions 8, and bolts passing through said slotted portions 3 and engaging with the supporting-frame to hold the regulating-braces in position after the scrapers have been adjusted, substantially as set forth.

In testimony whereof I affix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

JAMES K. 1%. sHELToN;

Witnesses A. E, MooRE, P. T. MITCHELL. 

